BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY ~ ANALYSIS

Terms used in the song:

 Scaramouche: he is a character in Italian opera. he is generally considered to be a clown/fool

(theatrical reference)
 Fandango: a Spanish dance accompanied by guitars and castanets. Mozart’s opera “the marriage of
figaro” has a fandango in it (operatic reference)
 Galileo: an Italian physicist/ mathematician/ and astronomer from the 16th century
(historical reference)
 Figaro: he is a servant character from Mozart’s opera (operatic reference)
 Bismillah: this is an Islamic prayer meaning “in the name of Allah” (it’s the same as saying “in
the name of God”) this is a religious reference
 Beelzebub: the devil second to Satan-the archangel expelled from heaven. This is a literary
reference to a poem called “paradise lost”

STRUCTURE OF BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

INTRO MAIN VERSE GUITAR OPERATIC GUITAR 2ND RECAP

SONG/VS 2 SONG AND
1 INTERLUD SECTION INTERLUD CODA
E E (VERSE)
BARS BARS
BARS BARS AND
BARS BARS 55-95 RIFF 123-
1-5 BARS 47-54 96-99
OPERATIC 138
17-34 BARS
35-46 HARD HARD SOFT
BALLAD ROCK STYLE 100-122
SOFT BALLAD ROCK ROCK
ROCK STYLE HARD
STYLE ROCK

B B FLAT B FLAT E FLAT A MAJOR E FLAT E FLAT E FLAT

AND E
FLAT AND E B FLAT
FLAT
AND FLAT
F
G
MINOR

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Instruments used in Bohemian Rhapsody:

Guitar, bass guitar, drum kit, vocals and piano

Introduction section bars 1 – 4

 Key signature: B flat Major

 Time signature: 4/4
 The time signature changes to 5/4 in bar 3. This allows the music to follow the rhythm of the
words
 There is no instrumental introduction (compositional technique)
 4 bars of vocal a capella singing (performance technique)
 This vocal part was multi-tracked (recording technique)
 There is overdubbing in these 4 bars (recording technique)
 There are repeated notes in the vocal line
 There is syncopation (bar starts with a rest or tied notes)

NOW USING YOUR SCORE: LETS FIND EXAMPLES OF THE FOLLOWING IN THE SCORE

Introduction to Bohemian Rhapsody

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g

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NOW FOLLOWING THE SCORE FOR THE VOCAL PART ONLY:

WRITE THE FIRST 7 BARS IN YOUR MANUSCRIPT

Bars 5 to 16 features of the music

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Eleven bars of vocal harmony accompanied with piano and cymbals (bars 12/13) and bass guitar
(bars 15)

There are changing time signatures

The melody contains repeated notes and syncopation

In bar 5 the piano enters playing g minor chord (triad)

The piano plays broken chords

In bar 8 on the words “I’m just a poor boy” backing vocals sing a counter-melody

In bar 10 the guitar chords chromatically fall by a semi-tone while the vocalist sings “easy come easy
go”

There is stereo panning in bar 11 on the words “little high little low” (left to right)

There is word-painting in bar 12/13 on crash cymbals on the words “anywhere the wind blows”
(called “Flanging”

“Flanging” means to record 2 separate tracks of cymbals and then put the 2 tracks back together but
out-of-sync

Getting to know the score: handout page 117

-Name the album from which this single was taken

When was the album recorded?

What was the origin of the title of the album?

When was the album released?

When was the single “Bohemian Rhapsody” released?

Who composed this single?

Describe briefly the instrumentation in this song?

Comment briefly on the vocal part

List 3 features of the song which were unusual for ha pop song of the 1970s

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 EXERCISE ON PAGE 117 AND 118 BASED ON INTRODUCTION BARS 1- 16

Here is the listening excerpt based on these bars

Queen - 'Bohemian Rhapsody' - YouTube.mp3 (Command Line)

1.83 introduction (bars 1-4)

1. The opening four bars are sung a capella. Explain what this means

2. What is the tonality of these four bars?

3. describe 2 musical features of this opening

(1)______________________________________________________________

(11)_____________________________________________________________

4. Listen to the 4 bars again and complete the rhythm of the melodic outline below

1.84 Introduction (bars 5-16)

1. Name the chord in bar 5__________________________________________

2. Describe the piano part from bar 5 onwards__________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________

3. What happens at the words “I’m just a poor boy”_____________________

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________________________________________________________________j_________________
_______________________________________________

4. How does the music paint the picture of the wind blowing?_____________

________________________________________________________________

5. From the following list, select any 3 features which you hear in this excerpt. Refer to the
appropriate text in each feature

Syncopation_________________________________________________

Chromatic movement_________________________________________

Descending bass line__________________________________________

Panning____________________________________________________

Glissando___________________________________________________

Main song verse 1 bars 17 – 34 (piano/bass/vocals/drums)

This is in the style of a Ballad

jKey = B flat major moving towards E flat major

There is A 2 bar piano introduction to verse 1

in bar 17: solo voice enters with a lush (rich) melody accompanied with piano/bass guitar

the melody range fits within an octave

there are repeated notes in the melody

the melody has syncopation (tied notes and also short note followed by a longer note..eg quaver
followed by a crotchet)

syncopated rhythms feature in the snare drum (it plays on the 2nd + 4th beats) in bars 25-32

it is a homophonic style of texture (melody with accompaniment only)

there is a bass glissando at the end of bars 20 and 30

there is a descending bass and L.H piano line in bars 23/24 and 27

there are crash cymbals heard in bar 24. This is an example of wordpainting “thrown it all away”

bars 30/31 end in a iv-1 cadence (plagal cadence)

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it moves back to the key of B flat major in bars 31/32

Verse 1 solo vocals only line 1 of your score

Verse 1 with the piano part added

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Verse 2 bars 34-46

LYRICS:

TOO LATE MY TIME HAS COME

SEND SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE, BODYS ACHING ALL THE TIME

GOODYE EVERYBODY, I’VE GOT TO GO

GOTTA LEAVE YOU ALL BEHIND AND FACE THE TRUTH

MAMA, OOOH, (ANYWAY THE WIND BLOWS)

I DON’T WANNA DIE

I SOMETIMES WISH I’D NEVER BEEN BORN AT ALL

dj

FEATURES OF MUSIC IN THIS SECTION

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13 bars of solo voice with backing vocals, piano, percussion and bass guitar. (Electric guitar joins in
after 8 bars)

It is a repeat of the music of verse 1

The drums accompany from the start of verse 2

There is wordpainting “sends shivers down my spine” with the use of a belltree

The bass guitars are “overdubbed” in bar 42 as the electric guitar enters on the words “and face the
truth”

The music is moving from ballad style to rock

Extra layers of backing vocals are added in bar 43 singing “ooh”

Backing vocals sing a “countermelody” in bar 44 “any-way the wind blows” against the main vocal
line

The bass line is descending in bar 43

There is a drum fill in bar 46

DESCRIBE ANY 3 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VERSE 1 AND 2

DRUMS COME IN AT BEGINNING OF VERSE 2 BUT NOT IN VERSE 1

THERE ARE BACKING VOCALS IN VERSE 2 BUT NOT IN VERSE 1

THERE IS A 4 BAR PIANO INTERLUDE IN VERSE 2 BUT ONLY A 2 BAR INTERLUDE IN VERSE 1

WORDPAINTING IN VERSE 2 USES A BELL TREE COMPARED WITH CYMBALS IN VERSE 1

THE MOOD IS TENSE AND ANGRY IN VERSE 2 WHILE ITS REGRETFUL IN VERSE 1

GUITAR INTERLUDE (BARS 47-54)

HEAVY ROCK STYLE SECTION

KEY IS E FLAT MAJOR

LEAD GUITAR PLAYS GUITAR LICK (SOLO) BASED ON PENTATONIC SCALE (DOH-RE-ME-SO-LAH)

SEMI-QUAVER SCALES AND TRIPLET RHYTHMS

GLISSANDO IN BARS 47, 48 AND 54

VIBRATO/BENDS IN 48, 50, 52 AND 53

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DESCENDING CHROMATIC LINE IN THE OVERDUBBED ACCOMPANYING GUITARS AND LEFT HAND
AND BASS GUITAR (49, 53,54)

POWERCHORDS IN GUITAR- DOUBLED ROOT AND 5TH ABOVE IT PLAYED IN BAR 50

ENDS IN “A MAJOR”

OPERATIC SECTION (BARS 55-95)

THERE IS AN ABRUPT CHANGE IN TEMPO AND STYLE

KEY IS “A MAJOR”

INSTRUMENTS: PIANO, LEAD GUITAR, BASS GUITAR, DRUMS, CYMBALS

2 BAR PIANO INTRO WITH STACCATO CHORDS ON EACH BEAT

CHROMATIC PATTERN IN MELODY IN BARS 57 AND 58 (SIMILAR TO OPENING)

WORDPAINTING IN BAR 61 “THUNDER BOLT AND LIGHTNING” WITH THE USE OF PERCUSSION

FALSETTO VOICE IN 61-66

STEREO PANNING IN 63-67

ANTIPHONAL SINGING (MUSICAL CONVERSATION) IN BARS 63/64 (UNACCOMPANIED) ON THE

WORDS “GA-LI-LE-O”

BELL-LIKE ARRANGEMENT ON THE WORDS “MAGNIFI”CO”

6 BARS OF REPEATED MELODY “IM JUST A POOR BOY” WITH ACCOMPANIMENT-6 PART VOCALS

PERCUSSION AND BASS GUITAR ENTER IN BAR 70

1 BAR PIANO LINK IN BAR 71

BAR 77 = 10j BARS OF ALTERNATING SOLO AND VOCAL HARMONY “EASY COME EASY
GO….BISMILLAH…NO WE WILL NOT LET YOU GO….LET HIM GO…”

STEREO PANNING BAR 82-84 (WE WILL NOT LET YOU GO..”

STABBING CHORDS IN BAR 86 AS INTENSITY RISES IN VOCALS, PIANO, GUITARS AND PERCUSSION

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SECOND GUITAR INTERLUDE (BARS 96-99) THIS SECTION IS HARD ROCK

KEY IS E FLAT MAJOR

TIME SIGNATURE 12/8 (12 QUAVER BEATS PER BAR)

4 BAR INSTRUMENTAL SOLO ON LEAD GUITAR

DISTORTION USED IN THESE 4 BARS

GUITAR PLAYS A “LICK” WHICH IS A MELODIC DEVICE BASED ON A MUSICAL PATTERN

BASS GUITARS (OVERDUBBED) AND DRUMS ACCOMPANY. NO PIANO

SYNCOPATION BARS 96-99

SECOND SONG (BARS 100-122)

SOLO VOICE FOR 14 BARS

ACCOMPANIED BY LEAD, BASS GUITAR, DRUMS AND PIANO(AT END)

SOLO VOICE SINGS MELODY WITH DESCENDING REPEATED NOTES AND SYNCOPATION (BARS 100-
102)

THERE ARE ALSO “TRIPLET” RHYTHMS IN THE MELODY (3 CROTCHETS FOR THE PRICE OF 2)

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 SYNCOPATION IN MELODY

POWERCHORDS IN GUITARS THROUGH OUT THIS SECTION

DISTORTION IN GUITARS ALSO

CHANGE OF TIME SIGNATURE TO 2/4 IN BAR 103 AND KEY SIG TO D FLAT MAJOR. THE IDEA OF THIS
IS TO JOLT THE LISTENER

BARS 113-122

jBAR 113 IS A BRIDGE PASSAGE FOR THE GUITAR WITH PERCUSSION

IT FEATURES A RISING LICK WITH OVER DUBBING (BARS 117-120: THIS IS MISSING ON YOUR SCORES)

STEREO PANNING IS USED HERE

PIANO JOINS IN IN BAR 121 PLAYING OCTAVES

MUSIC SLOWS BACK TO 4/4 AND TO BALLAD STYLE

RECAP AND CODA SECTION 123-138

VOCAL HARMONY (SIMILAR TO BAR 43) WITH PERCUSSION

OVERDUBBED GUITARS PLAYING RISING ARPEGGIOS (123-127)

BARS 128 SOLO VOICE WITH PIANO AND BASS, PERCUSSION AND SOME LEAD GUITAR

PERCUSSION DROPS OUT IN BAR 129

MELANCHOLIC MELODY “NOTHING REALLY MATTERS….”

PIANO PLAYS SIMPLE ACCOMPANIMENT SIMILAR TO VERSE 1

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LEAD GUITAR PANNED IN BAR 134-136

MUSIC ENDS IN F MAJOR ON PIANO WITH GONG

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